Music recorded at Abbey Road Studios, British Grove
Album running time: 73 minutes
Available on La-La-Land Records
(Album exclusive tracks marked with *)

It's been a few years since we've seen Ethan Hunt and his IMF team in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
(2011). Being the best in the series,
that film is hard to top. The franchise
has seen an interesting group of composers from Danny Elfman’s Mission: Impossible (1996), Hans
Zimmer’s Mission: Impossible 2
(2000), to Michael Giacchino’s Mission:
Impossible III (2006) and Ghost
Protocol (2011).

Relative scoring newcomer Joe Kraemer
steps up to the plate, after working with director-writer Christopher McQuarrie
and Tom Cruise on Jack Reacher (2012). Kraemer’s
score has a retro feel, using a completely orchestral palette. Kraemer also weaves the Schifrin main TV
theme (MI Theme), and the TV theme “The Plot” into the score and his own Ethan
Hunt theme. Other main themes include
one for the baddies, The Syndicate, as well as turning the melody of Puccini’s
Nessun Dorma into a leitmotif for the vixen, Ilsa Faust.

The
A400 accompanies the opening larger-than-life plane stunt, setting up
variations of Schifrin’s MI Theme. The
Plot theme makes an appearance among hints of Ethan’s theme as the suspense
builds to a full main titles statement of the MI theme.

Solomon
Lane introduces the theme for our villain, a snake-like theme for the
flute and woodwind section. The theme
grows and expands throughout the track with an almost hypnotic snake charmer
feel. Good Evening, Mr. Hunt builds more suspense with a brief nod to the
Schifrin theme. The brass enter with a
large sting as Solomon Lane’s theme appears near the end.

Escape
to Danger starts the spy sound with ticking percussion and large orchestral
hits and keeps it up without losing steam.
There are slight variations of Schifrin, so it can feel like it is part
of the fabric of the score. There is
also flute solo of Nessun Dorma snuck in, which of course plays a larger part
in the next few sequences. Kraemer sets
up Havana to Vienna with a Cuban
flavor and Schifrin quotes. The tremolo
strings and ticking percussion continue, this time with a reference to The Plot
and Solomon Lane’s themes. A Flight At The Opera keeps the action
going in this sequence with the brass and strings taking charge. There are some
quotes of Schifrin and Ethan’s theme almost connected together.

The
Syndicate begins with Lane’s theme in a shadowy setting until the Mission
Impossible trill appears and sets up The Plot theme (with a really interesting
Middle Eastern variation). The Plan brings us the classic spy
sound, blending the Schifrin style and Ethan’s theme. We get a lot of nice suspense music
continuing into It’s Impossible*, a
short cue featuring Lane’s theme spread among several instruments. The cue ends with a brief statement of
Schifrin’s main theme.

The
Torus, while not fully appearing in the film, is a great action
cue. Featuring several past themes (The
Plot, Ethan’s theme, MI theme), the rhythm propels the track without being over
the top or too busy. The track stays
under the radar until the last section where it has a strong finish. The main themes get expertly mixed in again
in Morocco Pursuit – a much stronger
and highly energetic action cue.

Grave
Consequences returns us to the quieter, suspense-filled sound, with flute
solos of MI theme and Lane’s theme making appearances. A section of dissonance leads to a propulsive
string section and Ethan’s theme. Ethan’s
theme starts off A Matter of Going,
with a quiet reprise of Lane’s theme before one of the prominent versions of
the Nessun Dorma theme for Ilsa.

The
Blenheim Sequence contains some nice variations of Schifrin’s theme and new
harmonies attached to Ethan’s theme.
Starting quietly, Audience With
the Prime Minister adds Lane’s sinister theme but rises for bold and
exciting statements of the MI theme and Ethan’s theme. This
Is the End, Mr. Hunt* reprises several past themes (including plenty of
statements of The Plot and Ethan’s theme) and crescendos to a big finish.

A
Foggy Night in London starts out as a strong action sequence for the film’s
climax. There are few fun percussion
solos and thrilling brass and string writing.
Meet the IMF starts with a
bold statement of the MI theme, and a rousing version of Ethan’s theme – now
really representing the IMF itself. It’s
a short cue, but is effective. Finale and Curtain Call recalls the
Nessun Dorma theme and a classic reprise of the Mission: Impossible theme. In a semi-suite, Kraemer returns to several
bits of music heard earlier in the score before ending with one last Mission:
Impossible theme.

It’s been a strong year for spy
scores: Spy (Theodore Shapiro), The Man from UNCLE (Daniel Pemberton), Kingsman (Henry Jackman), and an
upcoming Bond film. Kraemer really
delivers in this spy genre. Utilizing Schifrin’s material is a must, both
Elfman and Giacchino handled it well.
Kraemer has it really woven into his score, and it sometimes blends in
so well, it’s hard to tell where one composer ends and begins. The opera scene in Vienna is set to the opera
Turandot and Nessun Dorma (one of the most famous opera arias) is closely
connected to the scene’s plot but it is interesting that Kraemer used Giacomo
Puccini’s music as a leitmotif for Ilsa.
While it makes several appearances in the film, it never is too
obtrusive.

While Michael Giacchino’s score was
big on musical action, Kraemer really gets the quieter moments in addition to
the action set-pieces. Many cues aren’t
densely orchestrated, but have just enough momentum to keep it going. It really is a thoughtfully crafted score,
and it noticeable in the theaters, and even more so on the album. I hope this
work brings Kraemer more success and more recognition.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is the famed tourist trap that has been attracting crowds since the 1960s. Set up by the Chamber of Commerce, the 2,000+ stars match the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Recording, Radio, and Live Performance.

Ranging from the likes of Clark Gable to Shrek, each star is purchased (for a hefty $30,000) and typically coincides with a new film's promotion.I remember Hans Zimmer receiving one with the release of Inception. So it made me wonder what other film composers have a star. Here's a list of these film composers (and the year their star was unveiled).